ISRAEL - LEBANON: Doctored Carnage Not Required

by Taylor Marsh

We need this type of fakery like we need John Bolton at the United Nations.

Exhibit A, the UN resolution that wasn't meant to succeed in the first place. Hezbollah has to disarm, but Israel doesn't have to withdraw from southern Lebanon; yeah, that'll work. What's the Bush motto? Oh, right, mission accomplished.

Today you also had a long-time Lebanese activist saying on CNN this morning that Washington needs to get out of the negotiations, because the Lebanese don't trust Bush or Bolton. Where's an honest broker when you need it? In France, swell.

But that's not the worst news today. As if we needed more corporate media disrespect, we've now got Reuters' propaganda. They've now admitted to actually doctoring a picture to show more smoke and disaster in Lebanon than was happening in a certain snapshot. It's bad enough in Beirut, so we surely don't need to push this envelope, not to mention heighten mistrust of the media. There are not that many corporate outlets willing to risk their people in war zones as it is.

A Reuters photograph of smoke rising from buildings in Beirut has been withdrawn after coming under attack by American web logs. The blogs accused Reuters of distorting the photograph to include more smoke and damage. The photograph showed two very heavy plumes of black smoke billowing from buildings in Beirut after an Air Force attack on the Lebanese capital. Reuters has since withdrawn the photograph from its website, along a message admitting that the image was distorted, and an apology to editors. Reuters admits altering Beirut photo

Beirut has been leveled, with daytime Israeli strikes now targeting the suburbs on Lebanon. Bombing suburbs = killing civilians, lots of them.

Meanwhile, Haifa has been hit hard.

Ceasefire? It's getting further away instead of closer. The Arab states need to get involved and do it now.

This is an expanding catastrophe, with the conservatives trying to fan the flames, and Reuters faking photos doesn't help. The wingnuts are going crazy, led by Charles Johnson of LGF, Ms. Malkin and her WWIII gang, plus many others.

What we need is truth not political propaganda and one-sided signals.

The United States and Britain continue to stand by and encourage Israel by their unwillingness to demand Israel withdraw from southern Lebanon, while demanding Hezbollah disarm. This is untenable because Hezbollah is being strengthened by Israel bombing indiscriminately, while the west doesn't want to admit that democracy has put Hezbollah within the Lebanese legitimate government. Voting is all.

Now, if you really want to get your mind working, read Juan Cole's provocative post today.

The wholesale destruction of all of Lebanon by Israel and the US Pentagon does not make any sense. Why bomb roads, roads, bridges, ports, fuel depots in Sunni and Christian areas that have nothing to do with Shiite Hizbullah in the deep south? And, why was Hizbullah's rocket capability so crucial that it provoked Israel to this orgy of destruction? Most of the rockets were small katyushas with limited range and were highly inaccurate. They were an annoyance in the Occupied Golan Heights, especially the Lebanese-owned Shebaa Farms area. Hizbullah had killed 6 Israeli civilians since 2000. For this you would destroy a whole country? It doesn't make any sense. Moreover, the Lebanese government elected last year was pro-American! Why risk causing it to fall by hitting the whole country so hard? ... One Ring to Rule Them

Why the "wholesale destruction" of Lebanon, when the newly elected government was pro-American? Cole offers an argument that points to one thing: energy, oil and the rush to get it, keep it and control it. Read it.

- Taylor Marsh